Thomas returns to lineup with a bang

Lane Thomas didn’t like it when someone would bring up his homerless streak to begin the season, and he didn’t like it when someone would bring up his torrid power display through the early portion of the summer. So he obviously didn’t want someone to bring up the fact he had been in another long homerless streak prior to Friday night’s game.

“It’s a long season. I think at some point you go through a little drought,” he said. “It felt good to put a few good swings on it tonight.”

Thomas did put several good swings on the ball Friday against the Marlins, most notably on his leadoff homer in the bottom of the third. That 430-foot blast to left field was his 21st home run of the season, but his first in a long time.

Thomas notably hit his first homer of 2023 on May 1. He proceeded to hit 20 of them over his next 86 games, a stretch that ended Aug. 8. Since then? Nothing until Friday, a 21-game stretch that saw him bat just .221 and slug just .299.

The outfielder has always been streaky since joining the Nationals, but he seemed to turn a corner earlier this year when he went on a sustained tear at the plate that made him a bona fide All-Star candidate and perhaps solidified his place in the organization’s plans beyond this season.

Thomas’ August slump, though, perhaps reminded everyone he’s still not a finished product. He still has much to prove about his ability to consistently produce in the big leagues.

He actually missed Thursday’s game with back tightness, something that cropped up the previous day while he was playing right field against the Blue Jays.

“I just felt something weird in my back after I made kind of a bad throw in Toronto,” he said. “Just precautionary. I felt good today. … A little sore, but nothing anybody was worried about. It’s all good.”

Thomas’ performance at the plate Friday seemed to confirm his diagnosis. In addition to the third-inning homer, he also singled in the seventh and singled in the 10th, driving in CJ Abrams with the tying run that extended the game into the 11th inning.

“I think today, honestly, out of all the days, he was a lot shorter on his swing,” manager Davey Martinez said. “I don’t know if it was because of his back, but his swing was very short today. He was able to get his hands through, and he got some big hits for us, as well. He had a good day with the stick. We need that.”